The 32nd batch of questions and answers is here. This is one of the most important Q&As to date, featuring four new action packed screenshots alongside the usual five answers. The screenshots expose the new artistic direction Blizzard had decided to take with StarCraft 2, and also reveal three new units that have recently been discussed but have yet to be shown.

First up, the new screenshots, followed by important highlights and comparisons to earlier designs:

Screenshot A: Blink Assault

In Blink Assault you can clearly see and feel the new sense of Terran grittiness. Team colors are a bit worn from battle and the metal texture in Terran units and building have been desaturated a bit. In this screenshot you can see Immortals take on the pounding of fortified Siege Tanks with their hardened shields, while the Stalkers blink up on the cliffs for the assault.

* The Terran’s new darker, grittier feel. [Old | New]

* A new, very impressive Yamato Cannon effect.

 

* The Immortal and the Marine receive new, less bulky weapons. [Old | New]

 

 

Screenshot B: A Lone Outpost

The Terran Army struggles to defend their lone outpost in the scrap yards, fending off a Protoss onslaught just long enough until the Battlecruisers arrive. Though even with their reinforcements, the battle is far from won, as the Protoss also arrive with their fleet of Carriers to counter.

* A new, more brightly colored Twilight Archon engages a Battlecruiser.

Screenshot C: The Final Push

This screenshot depicts a large counter attack upon a Protoss base responsible for warping in several waves of attacks on Terran outposts. Dropped Siege Tanks bombard the area, while the Jackals torch up the surroundings with their area of effect line attack. Furthermore, the Marauders slow incoming Zealots as the Battlecruisers plasma weapons make short work of them.

* New unit: Marauder, firing off its Concussion Grenades, which have a slowing effect on biological units and a bonus against armored units.

* New unit: Jackal, which is firing a long-range, area of effect flame instead of the purported Rail Gun.

* Levitating High Templars, now overlooking the battle from a very high position.

Screenshot D: Anti-Gravity Back Door

As requested by the community, I have taken a screenshot showing a Dark Templar squad secretly infiltrating the Terrans front lines with the help of the Nullifier and its Anti-Gravity ability (previous moved from the High Templar). The Terrans wont know what hit them until it is too late.

* New unit: Nullifier. Aside from the Force Field, Null Void and Anti-Grav abilities, this unit also has a relatively weak ranged attack. The attack’s effect is an early design, which Karune promises will change and improve.

* The Nullifier, which has received the High Templar’s new Anti-Grav ability, lifts up rocks at the bottom of the ramp, allowing Dark Templars to infiltrate the Terran base. Anti-Grav, which was supposed to compete with Psi-Storm for the High Templar’s energy, has been transferred to the Nullifier in exchange for its old ability, Hallucination.

* The Zealot receives a much slimmer look, making it appear less like a cartoon character and more like a deadly warrior. [Old | New]

* The Zealot’s Psi Blades, when not in battle, are turned off.

 

StarCraft 2 has changed a lot since Blizzard first showcased it, almost a year ago, in the WWI event in Korea. Many units have been refined and have had their weapon effects enhanced; the look and feel of both the Terran and the Protoss races have been updated, making their in-game representations closer to the ideal we’ve had in mind since the original StarCraft was first launched.

Blizzard is determined to implement the feedback it gathers during development, and it clearly shows in these new screenshots. Many of the changes we now see are direct consequences of comments fans have made throughout the last months.

 

Moving on, the standard Q&A batch. First up, a question submitted by the SC2 Blog:

1. Will allies be able to use each others transport/teleportation methods? Marines in Overlords, Zealots in Nydus Worms, etc.. ? (sc2blog.com)

 

Many of these questions are still being debated within the development team and the final decisions will ultimately be determined through balance. Nonetheless, classic abilities, such as heal by the Terrans, will be usable on allies regardless of faction.

I do not envy the Marine which will have to be transported inside an Overlord…

2. Does the Anti Gravity spell work for your own units? In other words, can you use it to lift up buildings to protect them from an early wave of Zergling? (TheWarCenter.com)

 

Yes, the Anti Gravity ability can be casted on friendly units and buildings. Also, the Anti Gravity ability has been added to the Nullifier, as the ability has proven much more effective in the earlier parts of the game. Nonetheless, this is still being tested and is subject to change.

As mentioned above, the Anti-Grav ability failed to compete with the deadly and effective Psi-Storm, and has been given to the Nullifier, which now features 3 abilities and a standard ranged attack. Anyhow, casting Anti-Grav on important buildings or on probes to save them from an early rush is an interesting possibility.

3. What happens to units who are under a flying building when it falls down? Can you build a building under the building that are flying? and if that is the case, what happens to that building that it is landing on? Get.Yourgun (gosugamers.net)

 

This is actually a notable design challenge the development team is currently facing with the Anti Gravity ability. Currently, players are not allowed to build buildings under the floating object. When the object does land, it will land on top of whatever unit is under it. For example, if a Supply Depot is lifted up by Anti Gravity and it lands on a Marine when the ability duration is over, it will indeed land on the Marine (but will not cause damage). The Marine can then move out from under that building in the direction of that players choosing. The details around Anti Gravity are still very much in testing. As this is a new ability, many of the details are not finalized.

4. In StarCraft many glitches and near-bugs were discovered with the years passing. Many of them are used regularly and changed the game (Mutalisk stack, patrol-attacking, mineral hopping, Lurker hold, etc). This is and was even more true for other games (bunny hopping in quake or through-floors dmg, etc) and it became part of the identity of the game that people knew about those glitches, learned and mastered them. They became important aspects of the game.
Will any of these bugs make an appearance in StarCraft II, but as intentional features?
- Chosi (Teamliquid.net)

 

Yes, certain unit characteristics like the firing on the move dynamic of the Mutalisk, as well as stackable flyers will be in StarCraft II. Some of these characteristics may not feel completely the same, as it is a bit tougher to get flying units to stack, it will still be possible. Although it is important to note that not all of these characteristics will be making it back to StarCraft II, there will be plenty of opportunities for players to find new ways to use the units of StarCraft II in creative ways similar to the original.

A question regarding stackable fliers had been asked before. It’s obvious that StarCraft 2 will “feature” its own set of unique glitches – those that are interesting and contribute to the gameplay will remain, while others that can be abused will be patched out. However, since some glitches in StarCraft have become identified with the core of the game, Blizzard will certainly integrate them into StarCraft 2 on purpose.

5. What are the duties of the Blizzard eSports team, and how much will they be responsible for promoting Starcraft II as and eSport?(starfeeder.com)

 

The eSports team is responsible for developing Blizzards presence in the increasingly popular eSports scene. Their duties include the planning and operation of Blizzard tournaments around the world in places such as Asia, Europe and the United States. They also provide third-party support for the eSports leagues that host both online and live events using Blizzard titles. Additionally, they help provide balance feedback to our development teams based on interaction with professional gamers and response from the eSports community. They will have an integral role in promoting StarCraft II as an eSports as they have done for the previous Blizzard titles.

A lot of information to absorb in this update. With rumors of things to come, the next few days might be even more exciting. The Terran and Protoss races already look amazing; will the Zerg race live up to the standards set by the Terran and Protoss and to the natural hype caused by its late arrival?

Related Posts:

• » Two Massive Q&A Sessions: Battle.Net and Beta In-Depth
• » StarCraft 2 Beta: Protoss Strategies Overview
• » StarCraft 2 Beta: Yo Mommaship Got Nerfed
• » One Week Into The StarCraft 2 Beta: New Patch, Blizzcast

26 Comments to “Q&A 32: ScreenCraft, Transporting Allies, Anti-Grav Moved”

1. §ñîpé®⁄kéñ — March 9, 2008 @ 4:12 am
   

   w00t first comment. tyvm karune. ZERG TOMORROW WOO. mabs..

2. THE_BANANA_REPUBLIC — March 9, 2008 @ 4:35 am
   

   Nice photo cropping.

   I don’t like the less color saturated terran buildings and units. I think there are other ways of bringing out the “grit” of the terran army than through color reduction.

   The unactivated psi blades, when not in battle, is very cool. If a unit were to surprise a zealot, would the activation of the psi blades delay his initial attack?

   I really miss the movement animation of the templar in the first starcraft. Will we see something similar in the new version?

   The nullifiers look great!

3. Johan — March 9, 2008 @ 5:39 am
   

   quote: THE_BANANA_REPUBLIC

   I agree. the color of the marines whas better before.
   Why i liked the starcraft 2 design was because of the “color full” views.

   look here:
   http://starcraft2.com/images/screenshots/ss61-hires.jpg

   the less colored marines and other units that will have color reduce, will not fit in these colorfull forest´s and other beauty views.. i like it colorfull, if the should reduce the color why just on terran? make the hole game color less so we that like color can just adjust in on the monitor or in graphic card options.

4. Aaron Kaplan — March 9, 2008 @ 7:16 am
   

   I’mm going to semi-agree with Banana_Republic here. I don’t think that all-out color desaturation was the way to go… it doesn’t really make the Terrans look gritty, it makes them look geriatric and worn down. However, I think a good quick fix would be to up the contrast all over… that way we could get more color (which will be good, because right now there’s so little of it that the desaturated colors are blending with the metal), but it wouldn’t look cartoony next to the badass look that the metal would get from increasing contrast.
   Note the artistic performance on the Battlecruiser… it’s still got a nice, high-contrast shiny/tarnished look to its metal, so it is still beautiful even with its reds desaturated.

   I think the Protoss could be similarly improved… the desaturation was a first step that was great, but I think part of what made SC1’s artwork great is that it had a lot of high-contrast stuff. Shiny/tarnished stuff next to each other really gives things the gritty, badass look that fans have been looking for.

   Next question: why are trilobites part of the Protoss front lines?

5. Aaron Kaplan — March 9, 2008 @ 7:20 am
   

   Actually, I don’t know why they desaturated the Protoss at all. They used to have that shiny quality that was perfect for them, and would look especially good next to some grittier Terrans. I’m not going to say that the new Zealot design isn’t good because it’s less cartoony, but I think the cartoony complaints of the Protoss could be deflected by different stylistic choices on a unit-by-unit basis rather than trying to blanket away the problem with desaturation, which just makes them seem lifeless–same thing with Terrans.

6. i luv guardians — March 9, 2008 @ 7:45 am
   

   blizzard rocks!!!! this is the best change yet!!! dem cool!! landscape and units is totally awesome!!! buildings not that good though, looks like clay. WOW! the yamato blew me away, am i gonna play wif such great gameplay??? OMG! the lone outpost is devastating..so cool!!!

7. Dill — March 9, 2008 @ 8:30 am
   

   The terrans do seem like they could use a few more changes as described above, they have gone from seeming plastic to having a look that could either be dirty plastic or dirty metal.

   Otherwise, the screenshots are neat, but videos would be a better demonstration of how all these units work.

8. clay_mourn — March 9, 2008 @ 8:35 am
   

   the protoss definatly look better, but the terrans look so messed up. they lost way 2 much color. blizzard have probably made a step in the right direction, but not a big enough one. i hope graphics continue to improve

9. battlarmd — March 9, 2008 @ 9:15 am
   

   I like the new look, definitely an improvement step towards what I was expecting from SC2. However, that being said, I feel much can still improve, like unit sizes (on the carrier for example), I feel a slight stretch on unit sizes will add to the effect of the new color patches as well, and make it more complete.

   the nullifier was disappointing though.

   I was expecting some sort of a floating prism, I have no idea how a trilobite has anything to do with the protoss.

   and I can’t wait to see the new colossus.

   Thanks Blizz, thanks for taking BOLD NEW STEPS. I like them. rock on!

10. BlueFireFox — March 9, 2008 @ 9:32 am
    

    Well, in general, I don’t like the new way it looks. Things look like plastic (specially the Protoss), and it’s like a low-profile StarCraft 2 version (worse graphics). It will be more difficult to distinct units because of the color lost. So the previous version was better in my opinion. If it had to change this wasn’t the correct way.

11. Mike — March 9, 2008 @ 11:28 am
    

    very cool outpost, blizzard rocks!!!!!

12. Guy — March 9, 2008 @ 12:36 pm
    

    Blizzard. Through listening to the fans of starcraft and their suggestion to make the game less cartoony, I think everything looks… worse. I originally didn’t mind the “cartoonyness” of the way you had things since the first anouncement of SC2. It was a change that looked great. Now through “desaturating” the units and buildings it seems that there is a film on my monitor, which the monitor screams to be cleaned off so the true ‘colors’ of the game can be taken in by the player’s eyes. Without the color everything has gone “blah.” Like Aaron Kaplan stated above -

    “I’m not going to say that the new Zealot design isn’t good because it’s less cartoony, but I think the cartoony complaints of the Protoss could be deflected by different stylistic choices on a unit-by-unit basis rather than trying to blanket away the problem with desaturation, which just makes them seem lifeless–same thing with Terrans.”

    Aaron hit the problem right on the nose. Explore different options without taking away the games life. I believe that the change to the zealot makes him seem anorexic – where’s that “macho” soldier that serves on the protoss frontlines. If I were coming head to head with this new zealot, I would simply laugh in his face and flick him aside. And how will we be able to see the flashing of the marines’ gun as he shoots, on his armour, if he is desaturated to the point where you can’t even make out what color player he is.

    -Am looking forward to today’s annoucement of the zerg, not just because I have wanted to know more about them, but also because I want to see if this ‘Desaturation’ looks good in actual gameplay-doubting that. Good Job Blizzard, am glad your tryin to make the game its best.

13. Gabriel — March 9, 2008 @ 3:54 pm
    

    I agree overall on what has been said about the artistic direction. these screenshots, while showing a step in the right direction, seem to have a less exciting and dynamic feel than the previous artistic take. However, I do think it should be noted that surely anyone who is interested enough to post a comment here has watched the SC2 gameplay videos, probably numerous times. Static screenshots simply do not do justice at all to the overall feel of the game, especially without the context of actual gameplay footage. For the previous screenshots, this context was available. Once some new gameplay footage is released (perhaps even tomorrow), it’s very possible that the changes will look fantastic. Guy touched upon this in the post before mine, but I wanted to make a point of it.

14. Dill — March 9, 2008 @ 4:56 pm
    

    These comments may end up seeming like the stereotype of fans always complaining about stuff, though, so hopefully the other comments (mine included) at least give some good suggestions for what to do to help the graphics out a bit further.

15. Ken — March 9, 2008 @ 6:03 pm
    

    whiners, all of you!!! the screenshots are cool whatever you guys say!!!

16. Reader — March 9, 2008 @ 7:15 pm
    

    OMG Zerg faction.
    Queen, Ultrarisk, Overlord, Roach, Baneling, Nydus Worm, Infestor, Corruptor, Swarm Guadian, Drone, Zergling, Hydralisk, Mutalisk, Lurker, Infested Marine …

17. Reader — March 9, 2008 @ 7:36 pm
    

    Great!Great! Check this out!
    http://www.betanews.net/article/410338
    ( Korean site. But, you can see screenshots. )
    It’s new Zerg screenshots about their faction and Queen.
    Maybe many other multimedia( video, screenshot ) will spread on the WEB ASAP.

18. great player1 — March 9, 2008 @ 11:01 pm
    

    The nullifier seems hovering to me. Does mines effect it, and are the marauder’s grenades aoe damage and slow down?

19. Ken — March 9, 2008 @ 11:06 pm
    

    HOLY SHIT!!! The zerg has arrived!!!

    http://www.starcraft-source.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2566

20. Scott — March 9, 2008 @ 11:38 pm
    

    I think the change in Terran graphics is a definite step in the right direction. To over simplify my ideas: they went from “plastic” to “clay” now it’s time to put them in the kiln and make the glaze shine. Metal shouldn’t be that flat looking.

21. Zerg Video — March 10, 2008 @ 5:55 am
    

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjEXhrfdJ8Q

    Zerg Gameplay Video
    Video is up on youtube

22. jibbiajabba — March 10, 2008 @ 9:35 am
    

    Awesome video, corruptor aspect really makes the zerg swarm.

23. sgtslappy — March 10, 2008 @ 8:26 pm
    

    Omgz, Zerg section is up

24. Ken — March 10, 2008 @ 9:05 pm
    

    its either this site is slow on updates, are there are too few moderators to keep up with the news…

25. SCV_Operator — March 11, 2008 @ 1:48 am
    

    Its been said before but I’ll say it again: you can go to other sites that will immediately report all the latest updates on SC2, or you can come to this site where they not only bring you the updates, but a lot of comment and analysis, which takes a little while to put together.

26. SteelVelocity — March 11, 2008 @ 3:30 pm
    

    ….. I’ve notice you are slowing down too. But you do give a lot of good commentary.